Cable-grip



J; H-QMASTERS.

(No Model.)

CABLE GRIP;

Patented June 3, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI JOSEPH H. MASTERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CABYLIE-VG RIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,590, dated June 3,1890.

Application filed Jannary28, 1890. Serial No. 338,343, (No model.)

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH I-I. MASTERS, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Cable-Grip, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cable-grips for street-carsand similar Vehicles in which a fixed jawis opposed bya movablegripping-j aw operated by the gripman through suitable levers andcrank-arm mechanism, and in which heretofore in many instances thegripping-j aw has been moved vertically, so as to release or becomeentirely disengaged from the cable in changing from one cable to anotherby a lateral movement only of the grip. A grip so operating, however,cannot be employed in a system in which the cable is disengaged from thegrip by its own action prior to the lateral movement of the grip inchanging from one cable to another; and it is to the production of agrip especially designed for use in connection with such a system thatthis invention is especially directed.

Another purpose or object of this invention is to reduce the wear andtear upon the cable by the action of the grip to the minimum.

A further object is to utilize the movement of the cable to produce thefinal tightening of the gripping-jaw and to have the latter so operatedthat the labor of gripping and releasing the cable is reduced to theminimum.

These objects are attained by the devices illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation ofa cable-grip embodying myinvention; Fig. 2, a similar view thereof takenfrom the opposite side; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section on theline 3 3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;and Fig. 4, a horizontal section on the line 4 at of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

The frame for attaching and suspending the grip from the body of the carmay be of any desirable construction, but preferably consists of the topbar A, attached directly to the car, the suspending-bars B, and thegripframe proper, consisting, preferably, of bent metal formed into ahollow oblong body 0 and an upright flanged portion D, attached to thesupporting-bars, which bars are also preferably composed of metal, andare bent under at a right angle at their lower end, so as to form feetE, upon which the body of the grip-frame rests, the sameframe beingsecured in any suitable manner, by bolts or otherwise, to thesuspending-bars.

To the lower portion of the flange D of the grip -frame is secured afixed longitudinal gripping-jaw F, slightly concaved on the face thereofto receive the cable, while opposing this fixed jaw is a movablegripping-jaw G, of substantially the same length as the fixed jaw, andalso slightly concaved on the face thereof opposing the fixed jaw,between which jaws the cable is gripped, the gripping-jaw moving towardand away from the fixed jaw in a horizontal plane. This action isaccomplished by securing the gripping-jaw near its ends, respectively,to a pair of parallel links H, pivotally secured thereto and to thegripframe, and by pivotally connecting the grippingejaw near its centerwith one arm I of a double crank pivoted upon the grip-frame,

which arm lies parallel wi th the links H, while the other arm extendsout frombetween the upper and lower portions of the grip-frame, and isconnected at its end by a rod K with one end of a grip-lever I), pivotedat M to the flange D of the grip-frame or to any other stationaryportion of said frame, with the opposite end of which lever connects arod N, leading to the hand-lever, by which the operator controls thegrip, setting or unsetting the same at will. Thus, whenever power isapplied to the grip-lever the gripping-jaw will be caused to approachthe fixed jaw in a position parallel therewith, so as to firmly grip thecable between the two jaws The cable is supposed to travel in the di-.rection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4, and the links and crank-armsupporting and operating the gripping-jaw extend from their pivots inthe opposite direction to that in which the cable is moving, and are ofsuch length that when the cable is between the jaws of the grip thelinks and crank-arm cannot reach the dead-center; but they approachsufficiently near to it under the action of the grip-lever to utilizethe movement of the cable between the jaws to do the final tightening ofthe gripping-jaw, and thus relieve the operator of the extra exertionwhich 5 would be necessary to secure and maintain the hold of the gripupon the cable, and ob viously the greater'the resistance offered by aloaded car the tighter would the grip hold the cable. These parts are soarranged,howl0 ever, and the operator gains so much leverage by theconstruction described that he is enabled to easily release the gripwith acomparatively slight effort, and, if desired, in order tofacilitate the releasing of the cable and at the same time save the wearthereof and avoid a sudden jerk in starting the car, the opposing jawsof the grip may be provided with anti-friction rollers.

As the grip is required to pick up and carry the cable above the pulleysupon which the cable travels, to avoid wear and tear upon the cable bythis action I employ the antifriction rollers O, mounted in suitablebrackets P, secured in any suitable manner to the grip-frame at each endthereof, the upper carrying-surface of which rollers is in a planesuliiciently above the top of the grip-frame to cause the cable totravel clear of the frame and in proper position between the jaws of 0the grip.

In the cable system for use in connection with which my grip isespecially designed and adapted, in changing from one cable to anothereach of the cables at the ends of their respective travel works oververtically-arranged pulleys in a plane above the rest of the pulleysover which the cable travels, and as a result as the grip approaches thepoint at which one cable is dropped and the other is picked up the jawsof the grip are opened, so that the cable as it rises to pass over theend pulley will be lifted out from between the jaws, after which thegrip by means of a suitable slot-between the rails through which 5 thesuspending-bars work is moved to one side, so as to pass by the endpulley of both cables, and then back under the next cable, which willdrop in between the jaws, to be in turn gripped as the momentum of thecar carries the grip along to the proper point, such systems being nowcommonly employed in a number of cities in this country and theiroperation so well understood that illustration thereof is not believedto be neces- 5 5 sary.

Obviously any grip which depends solely upon its own movement for thechanging of the grip from one cable to another could not be employed inconnection with such a system, nor can any grip in which the jaws movevertically be employed, for they would prevent the initial verticalmovement of the cable.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a cable-grip, the combination, with the grip-frame and a fixed jawsecured thereto, of a horizontallymoving gripping-jaw, a crank-armconnected therewith and operating the same at its center of length, anda pair of links supporting the ends thereof and lying parallel with saidcrank-arm, substantially as described.

2. In a cable-grip, the combination, with the grip-frame and a fixed jawsecured thereto,

of a horizontallymoving gripping-jaw, a crank-arm connected'with andoperating said jaw at its center of length, and a pair of linkssupporting the ends of said jaw lying parallel with said crank-arm, saidarm and links extending from their pivots in the opposite direction fromand oblique to the travel of the cable, substantially as described.

3. In a cable-gri p, the combination, with the grip-frame and a fixedjaw secured thereto, of a horizontally-movable gripping-jaw, a doublecrank-arm pivoted to said-frame, one arm of which is connected with andoperates said gripping-jaw, a grip-lever also pivoted to said frame, anda rod connecting saidlever with the other arm of the double crank,substantially as described.

at. In a cable'grip, the combination, with the grip-frame and a fixedjaw secured thereto, of a horizontally-movable gripping-jaw, a doublecrank-arm pivoted upon said frame, one arm of which is connected withand actuates said jaw at its center of length, a pair of links parallelwith said arm and supporting said jaw at the ends thereof, a grip-leveralso pivoted to said frame, and a rod connecting said lever with theother arm of said double crank, substantially as described.

5. In a cable-grip, the combination, with the grip-frame, a fixed jawsecured thereto, a horizontally-moving gripping-jaw, and a crank-arm foractuating the same, of antifriction pulleys secured to said frame ateach end of said jaws for carrying the cable, substantially asdescribed.

(3. 111 a cable-grip, a grip-frame comprising the horizontal bar A, thesuspending-bars B, and the grip-frame proper, consisting of the bodyportion C and the angular flange D, substantially as described.

7. In a cable-grip, the combination, with the grip-frame comprising thebar A, the suspending-bars B, and the grip-frame proper, consisting ofthe horizontal body 0 and the upright angular flange D, of a fixed jawsecured to said flange, a movable jaw opposing the same and supportedand working upon the body 0, parallel links pivotally secured at theirends, respectively, with said jaw and body, and a crank-arm pivoted tosaid body and pivotally secured at its end to the center of said jaw,said arm lying parallel with the links, substantially as described.

JOSEPH II. MASTERS. lVitnesses:

O. V. MAsrERs, OscARQnARLEs

